Intentions:

The previous week, I learned to convert some PVC pipe, a 3D printed inner core into a mold to cast silicon in. We made an inflatable silicon actuator by adding fabric cut in the right places inside the cast.

After that, I wanted to cast my own actuator, and this time try to do a sleeker, longer version of the one last week. I decided to use paper instead of fabric, and use straws of different thicknesses to create a hollow tube, rigid in some places and inflatable in others.

My mold was made using a large milkshake straw, a thinner plastic straw, a metal stick to hold the straws in place, a base made of cardboard and paper.

Upon casting, I learned that pouring silicon into such a tiny space was impossible — at that stage I believe I wanted a funnel attached to the mouth of the larger straw.

The next morning:

After the cast has cured over night, I learned that despite using ample amount of demolding spray, it was impossible to pull it out from the tight space between the straws.

I then learned that mine was a deconstruct-able mold. I cut through the bigger straw to find out that air bubbles had formed all over the cast, and realised that instead of a funnel, to achieve this kind of shape I must have a mechanism to pour (and demold) longitudinally. Two half molds for the outer shell would have solved the problem of air bubbles.

The Vuforia component makes AR objects come to life in Unity, making it easy to apply 3D objects, images, video, audio and more onto targets. We learned how to use it to create augmented 3D objects on image targets, and now we’ll learn to trigger audio when that image (or other) target is recognised by the AR camera, adding sound effects to our augmented reality.

Step 1

Follow this tutorial to use Vuforia in Unity in order
to add a 3D object to an image target.

Step 2

In Unity, go to GameObject > Audio > Audio Source,
and add it to your Image Target as a child in the
hierarchy.

Step 3

Take the .mp3, .wav (or likewise) audio file and drag
it into your Assets folder for the project in Unity

Step 4

Drag the audio file into the Audio Clip section in the
Inspector when you click the Audio Source

Make sure you uncheck the "Play on Awake" option,
unless you want the audio to play every time the
project starts

Step 5

Stay in the Audio Source Inspector. In the 3D Sound
Settings, tweak the Max Distance according to your
project. The larger this is, the more likely that
sound will be able to reach the audio listener of
your ARCamera even when the distance from the Image
Target is large

Step 6

Create a C# Script. This will create your AudioSource.
Here you can code how and what will trigger the audio
in terms of number of targets, their order and
hierarchies etc

The code should look something like this example,
called ImageTargetPlayAudio, which implements the
ITrackableEventHandler interface.
Add it to your Image target.

Another example, for when multiple targets are added
and require different sounds to be played according
to the number of targets tracked

Step 7

And you're done! Test the AR experience by hitting
"Play" on your scene and use your target image to
trigger the new sound you just added!

Super Mario AR

Super Mario in AR is a fun project, not to mention the only time true Mario Kart fans can immerse themselves in the game they previously only played on a screen. This fact is the biggest reason why the public took specific interest in the game, and I’m assuming would love to see more iconic games and movies in this enveloping medium.

The game uses the Hololens to add augmented Super Mario elements on to the real world, and certain gestures to control the progress of the main character. It has a first person’s POV, and for features like growing in size after a mushroom as been tapped, for instance, the size of the environment is decreased to have the same effect.

It has a multiplayer version, making the whole thing a lot more fun. The design is taken from the iconic game itself and imposed in this case to a walkway in Central Park.

The intended audience I believe are existing fans of the game, people who like immersive gaming, young gamers, and people with the ability to move about.

I find this project an inspiring because I tend to expect AR to add enjoyable and entertaining possibilities to its targets, kind of like Snapchat filters. Another aspect is that of AR encouraging body movement. Once AR hardware gets light enough and portable enough, you can actually see how stuff like this might be able to encourage people to get out and stay active. The real world, with like actual hikes and stuff, just gets boring so fast.

The skin of humans is a very important organ, the largest in fact. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system. Because it interfaces with the environment, skin plays an important immunity role in protecting the body against pathogens and excessive water loss.

Sweat glands are used to regulate temperature and remove waste by secreting water, salts, and nitrogenous waste (such as urea) onto the skin surface.

They are almost invisible pores that can also be used for lubrication.

Soft robots

–can incorporate this phenomena in to lower temperatures and increase mobility by reducing friction. Robots that are biomimetic and humanoid can also be made more realistic.

Make your own Music

This project consists of

1. code in Tone.js library

2. animations for visuals

3. a glove that adds effects to music

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Tone.js is a framework for creating interactive music in the browser. It provides advanced scheduling capabilities, synths and effects, and intuitive musical abstractions built on top of the Web Audio API.

We used Tone.js to create a musical interface that is easy, fun, interactive and engaging. The intended audience is a non-musician who wants to create music.